Aglaia

Moving House

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:27:00 +0000

Yes! We're moving to a new home! I've just about added all the blogrolls in my previous blog (this one) to my new home (this one). Yes, I am excited. and yes, I am skeptical that I'm going to lose readers by moving to a new home, but hey, it's a risk I'm willing to take :)

So if you haven't done so, I'd like to invite all of you to Aglaia's new home at http://worldofaglaia.wordpress.com

PS: this super cute starfish lives in a 'Secret Zoo' in Batu, East Java :)

Allegra 1.3: the ring

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 22:43:00 +0000

Allegra: freshwater pearls, czech crystals, faux pearls, silver plated wire

A long overdue post. The second to last installment of Allegra.

I personally LOVE rings, I love making them and I love wearing them. Naturally, this piece developed rather quickly and I am very happy with the end product.

On another note, I've finally succumb to the idea of moving this blog to wordpress. I've been reading quite a bit of tips from G&G (V has A LOT of useful tips and infos!!!) and hopefully will be able to make a smooth transition soon.

Allegra 1.2: the earrings

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:02:00 +0000

Allegra: freshwater pearls, czech crystals, faux pearls, silver plated wire

As soon as I posted Allegra (the bracelet) for my little blackberry community to devour, I was approached to create the whole nine yards (earrings, ring, necklace, the whole lot). The focus are still on the gleaming white freshwater pearls, hence the decision to create a free-formed skeleton (those round, squirly things as a dear friend would describe them) that can bring the different materials, colours and textures together.

This is Allegra 1.2: the earrings.

Allegra 1.1: the bracelet

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:57:00 +0000

Allegra: freshwater pearls, czech crystals, faux pearls

it took me weeks to create the perfect bracelet that exudes elegance, with white as its main colour. All I can say is that I am reaping my reward now, as people seem to love the concept of Allegra, and I've been kept busy with creating more and more of them. This is Allegra 1.1: the bracelet.

Handmade Love From Me to You

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 03:00:00 +0000

The super woman behind Posie Patchwork got me excited on this concept of handmade pay it forward.

"I promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, you must repost this message, offering something handmade to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade by you, and it must be sent to your 5 giftees sometime in 2011. Ready, set, GO!"

Now, I know that I love me some handmade goodies *making AND receiving them* and am so excited to start making these 5 gifts! So start writing up your post, leave me a comment with the link and the first 5 people will receive a little bit of Aglaia on their doorstep. Let's make this a fun start to 2011 :)

the best final week of 2010 - part 3, the jawbreaking cute stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:48:00 +0000

we're finally at the last part of the best final week of 2010 series, and dare I say this is the most EXCITING part! Japan's full of amazingly adorable stuff and I couldn't get enough! Allow me to show you...

the fancy toilets

the gorgeous traditional outfits

the Japanese Kokeshi dolls

the Japanese paper dolls

the hello kitty tribute

the adorable and breathtaking shopfronts

the more than 5million vending machines scattered throughout the country

the countless cute edibles and green tea attributes

I am determined to come back to Japan during sakura season. Until then...

introducing: the Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 01:12:00 +0000

Reine (the Queen) is a piece that I made during the festive season. I was getting sick of the lack of expensive looking jewellery in my jewellery chest (I only left behind numerous amount of bangles home when I left for Canberra earlier last year) and decided that I would make one that I can wear during the festive season, as well as for any other occasion. Et voila!

Reine: gold plated chain, japanese wooden beads, swarovski embellished clasp

I have been wearing them almost everywhere, and have got comments (and orders!) from people. Couldn't have been happier with my Queen; it's truly luxury at a budget!

the best final week of 2010 - part 2, the food

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:42:00 +0000

the market and food stalls

the meals

desserts and green tea-related sweets

the displays

would you believe me if I tell you that I ate everything I've shown you and actually lost weight? (aside from the displays and that bright red raw octopus)

the best final week of 2010 - part 1, the sights

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 05:23:00 +0000

went to Japan on christmas day and spent the last week of 2010 touring the charming country. The food was amazing (and it helps that I'm totally addicted to Japanese cuisine), the people courteous, the toilet seats heated (with optional music to accompany the different kinds of function you would want a toilet to perform) and of course the shopping was out of this world (although slightly expensive).

I took around 800+ snaps and thought I'd break them down to little, exciting highlights: 1. the sights, 2. the food and 3. the jawbreaking cute stuff that are so Japanese. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

temple - Tokyo

Castle Fort - Osaka

Osaka Castle - Osaka

Japanese Garden - Osaka

Deer Park - Osaka

Todai-ji Temple - Osaka

Kimono Fashion Show - Nishijin Textile Centre

temple - Kyoto

Golden Pavilion - Kyoto

Mt. Fuji from our room - Gotemba

Harajuku - Tokyo

new year+birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:02:00 +0000

went for birthday lunch on the first day of 2011. The birthday boy (my brother, that is) loves basketball and what's more appropriate than his favourite basketball teams-themed birthday cupcakes to surprise him in the morning?

how was your first day of the new year?

live, love, laugh

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 18:07:00 +0000

went to christmas eve mass, followed by a small family dinner. Loads of food, more desserts than my belly can handle *2 cakes and 2 puddings*, thoughtful gifts. All in all, a simple yet incredible night with the family. Happy Christmas everyone :)

have yourself a verve christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:50:00 +0000

these little babies have proven to be more popular than I expected! I have made them in all sorts of colour: white, black, peach and blue! They're edgy yet girlie (did you notice the little sparkler of a crystal?)

I am so very excited for christmas this year! Not only will I be able to spend it with the family, we will be going on a very EXCITING trip on christmas night! :)

What are your plans for christmas?

warm hues warms my heart

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 07:29:00 +0000

vacation has been wonderful. a mix of good food, naps and working away on the orders I've managed to accumulate before the summer. Here's a quick peek of the set of custom-made jewellery consisting of warm amber hues, sparkling crystals and freckled jaspers.

why is it that I always want to keep (and wear!) pieces I've made for others?

I Love Melbourne!

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:13:00 +0000

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road was amazing! I am definitely coming back for some more next year! In the meantime, results are out, life's slowly getting sorted and I'm finally off to Jakarta for the summer.

Have a jolly December :)

such a busy life

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:32:00 +0000

5 am and I am awake, sipping my coffee.

off to Melbourne for the weekend to see my cousin. In the meantime, here's some more pics from the Queensland trip. After Gold Coast, I bid adieu to my girls and went off to meet another bunch of girls at the Sunshine Coast. We stayed for a couple of nights and headed to Brisbane afterwards...

have a fantastic weekend!

back for a peek

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:41:00 +0000

it wasn't the summer holiday that we hoped for *weather wise*, but it was indeed a fun and memorable getaway with some of the best and fun-loving girls I've known...

view from our apartment

believe in your dream

the girls

the ride

the food

more to come on the second part of the trip!

take me away dear summer

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 22:48:00 +0000

where I'll be in 3 days,

source

and I'll be spotted doing these,

source

In 72 hours I'll be done with my finals this year, and a fun filled, tightly scheduled summer down under will begin with a trip to the Gold Coast, followed by Sunshine Coast. I'm super excited *as the weather warms up and I'm still pasty and ghost-like*. I'll be meeting an old friend of mine who's flying from Singapore, then it's off to Sunshine Coast with the ANU girls. Oh, and you can bet that I'll be busy soaking the sun <and doing a little skydiving!>

Have a happy, happy weekend!

early bird shoppers seal of approval

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 22:35:00 +0000

a quick one on a Sunday morning before my first exam to let you know that I've decided to reward early bird xmas shoppers to a 20% discount off Aglaia's jewellery!

source

The sale will run until Tuesday, 30th November 2010. One-off creations ready to be shipped to new loving owners :)

Happy Sunday to all!

all I want for christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:59:00 +0000

can you believe it's almost that time of year again, where families and friends come together, eat mountains of food, take lots of pictures and occasionally fight/argue? yes, it's almost christmas!

Christmas also means christmas gift shopping!

This number was made with the holidays in mind. Luscious green agate stone combined with silver plated chains give this little number an edge. <oh, don't forget the swarovski encrusted snowflake charm!>

i'm crossing off my list as we speak <i type>, only a couple more things before i'm done with christmas shopping!

you probably know by now that I'm an organized freak (hence the early crossing off of my list), hence the reason why I listed this 'jade' bracelet on etsy early as well (dedicated to all the organized freaks out there!). You can shop them here.

'Jade' bracelet: Aglaia

question is: what adorable things are on your xmas list? what are you going to give your loved ones?

and the winner is...

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:29:00 +0000

a super quick post in the midst of my studying frenzy to announce the winner of aglaia's very first giveaway.

I was interested to see what my readers like, and somehow there's an almost equal division between the three options! The winner has chosen the black widow statement ring, a statement piece that can glam up the holidays :)

Congrats to Kristy Elena of Vogue Gone Rogue!!!!

now, back to books and some brainless tv:)

love me tender

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:20:00 +0000

'trois' ring: Aglaia

been playing around with my latest toy *canon eos 550d*, a birthday gift that arrived almost one month late! Nevertheless, I was very psyched when I received it last Thursday and despite the looming exams, I managed to play a bit with the camera.

and the current object of my affection? A certain gold plated wire wrapped tiger eye and czech crystals ring :)

PS: stay tune to find out which one of you won the giveaway!i'm excited!!!

halfway there

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:49:00 +0000

I'm officially done with classes for 2010!*horray* I know I should be studying like crazy for my finals, but my mind can't help but wander off to all the gorgeous places I'm going for the summer.

I'm an organized freak when it comes to holidays, I have the need to know and plan EVERYTHING (where we're going, how we're going to get there, what's there, etc). I feel really uncomfortable when I don't have at least 75% of my holidays planned out.

so, true to my nature, I've managed to organize stuff to do from the day I'm done with exams until I have to go back to uni next year. Basically, I'm going to the Gold Coast to meet one of my friend from our Switzerland days, then off to Sunshine Coast and Brisbane to meet up with my ANUers. Now, I know I need to leave a day or two to actually pack my stuff up before I leave for Jakarta (cause I'm going to move into a new place next year), so I'm giving myself a 3 day pack-and-bum-around in Canberra before I head off to Melbourne to stay with my cousin for my last weekend in Australia for 2010 :) (I will be ultimately broke by the time I get home, yes I will be).

Me and my girfriend was going to go to Jogjakarta for a couple of days as well (to learn the art of silversmithing), but since Mt. Merapi erupted, we're postponing this plan until the unforeseeable future (or at least, until the dust and smoke from the eruption are completely cleared). Which reminds me, your prayers for what's happening in Indonesia would be so appreciated! I can't believe that these natural disasters happened almost all at the same time (flood in Jakarta, earthquake, tsunami and volcanic eruption) and quite a lot of lives were taken, people went missing, homes were destroyed :(

On to a lighter, happier note, I made this ring out of glazed natural stone. I love how each stone has different textures, as if they're trying to tell us their stories and how they came to be. In a way, our lives are a lot like these stones. We were carved all smooth and perfect, and our life's tales gave us these little, distinct marks that are truly ours. It may have been painful when it happened, but now that the pain's gone, we can see the real beauty that has surfaced from these experiences.

Abyss ring: Aglaia

I listed them on etsy last night, and there's only 3 pieces available (grab 'em if you love 'em here :))

Out for now to hibernate and procrastinate, don't forget to enter the giveaway (only 2 DAYS LEFT!) -yes, that's me hiding from the exams-

Introducing Analena

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Have you met my friend Analena?

One day she told me that she loves red so much she wants me to wrap her in the buttery softness of a double sided gross grain ribbon (in blood red!)

and so I did...

Analena bangle: Aglaia

Only FIVE days left to enter the giveaway! :)

Overwhelmed

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:53:00 +0000

I've been slacking with my posts lately. Another semester has almost gone by, and you all know what that means! The dreaded final exams are coming in less than a month and I have to restrain myself from doing the things I love most (procrastinating, making jewellery, planning getaways, blogging, reading your blogs, and so much more!)

So, instead of boring you with the details of my busy, busy life, I'll leave you with some pretty pictures of earrings that I recently made. If you don't see them on my etsy shop, it's probably because a) they were sold through other mediums, or b) I haven't had the time to list them on etsy.

Little Sparks

Gading

Fall

Glaze

Blair

Caged Glory

Don't forget to enter the giveaway, only 8 days left :)

Bellatrix Lestrange

noreply@blogger.com (Asteria) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:45:00 +0000

One of the things I love about jewellery making is the fact that you can start with an idea in your head (or sketchbook) and still end up with something completely different.

When I started with this piece, I knew I wanted to make a statement ring, and I started twisting and turning this one long piece of wire,

I was completely happy with the skeleton, and me being a true procrastinator, left it there for a couple of days (my excuse: I was waiting for inspiration to strike)

Now, I love black. So why do I hardly have any black inspired jewellery?

Le Noir ring: Aglaia

You can say this is the result of my deepest, darkest desire (for black jewellery). And with my luck (I'm not complaining here), these little babies grabbed quite a bit of attention and I have none left for me to wear (yes, they're all sold!ps. I only made 3 pieces, so yeah lol)

Now that I think about it, this ring somewhat reminds me of the upcoming Harry Potter movie (yay!) poster that I have as my FB profile page,

Yes, it now reminds me of Bellatrix Lestrange. Creepily beautiful, I know.

PS: have you visited the giveaway? less than 2 weeks left to enter!